The Naming Game
by Dream Weaver 85
Summary: “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: if you name my daughter ‘Carter’, I’m putting her up for adoption and divorcing you,” Sam said. Shameless SJ fluff set in the future. Prequel of sorts to "Kids These Days."
1. Week Three

**A/N: **Long story short, my first year of grad school ate my soul. I found some time to write during the school year, but all I have to show for it is a half-written post-ep epic set after "Abyss" and a standalone fic that's already 70 pages long, even though I'm still not sure where the story is going. I plan on finishing both this summer (ambitious, I know), but I felt like I needed to ease back into fanfic, so I present, for your reading pleasure, some shameless SJ fluff! : ) Anywho, this little plot bunny sprang up when I was writing "Kids These Days" way back when, and I finally got around to writing it out. You don't have to read "Kids" first, but you can if you want to... And now, on with the show! Enjoy! : )

**The Naming Game**

Week Three

"Are we ready for this?" Sam asked uncertainly. Her voice seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room; she just hoped she hadn't woken the boys up with her question.

Groping blindly through the dark for her hand, Jack replied quietly. "It's a little late for second thoughts… Unless you've suddenly changed your mind about time travel," he teased affectionately and squeezed her fingers.

"I'm serious, Jack," she pressed. Even so, he could hear the smile in her voice. "We've already got Jake and Jackson… Can we handle a four year old, a two year old _and_ a newborn?"

"Jackson will be three by the time this one's ready to make her grand entrance, and Jake could be five, if baby number three is as late as he was," Jack assured.

Rolling on to his side, he pulled her snug against him. It was the right thing to do; she relaxed into him right away. "Look, Sam, I know we were only planning on having two, but…"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about this – ecstatic even – but there's so much to worry about." Sam sighed. Bringing his hand up to her lips, she brushed a kiss across the backs of his knuckles before continuing. "There's maternity leave, balancing all the kids' needs and schedules, figuring out how we'll send _three_ kids to college…"

"Could we wait until you're at least showing a little before we start worrying about sending this one to college?" Jack smirked.

He'd known her brain had been racing, filling her head with fears and doubts, but he hadn't thought she'd have fast-forwarded eighteen or so years into the future _already_.

"Besides, our kids take after you in the brains department. Schools will be _throwing_ money at her and her brothers."

"You think this one's going to be a girl?" she asked.

Just like he'd hoped, the smile was back in her voice.

"Yep," he said as he dropped a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "This time I'm gonna get my little girl."

"No," Sam said firmly, jumping in before he could continue.

"But…"

"I've said it before, I'll say it again: if you name my daughter 'Carter', I'm putting her up for adoption and divorcing you," Sam said. She couldn't help but roll her eyes in exasperation. They'd had this same discussion many times before both of the boys were born, and she had no desire to spend the next nine months rehashing it.

"C'mon, Sam," he wheedled.

"No."

"Please?"

"Good night, Jack."

"Saaaam…"

"Go to sleep."

Jack had been married long enough to know when conceding defeat was the safest thing to do. He could let it go for now, but they'd be revisiting this topic again in the future. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she breathed, snuggling back into his warmth,

Lapsing into silence, Jack slid their joined hands around to rest on her still flat stomach. He smiled to himself, excited for the days when he'd be able to rest his hand in this same spot and feel his daughter – he knew it would be a girl this time, even if Sam was skeptical – moving restlessly.


	2. Week Nine

**The Naming Game**

Week Nine

"What about 'Catherine'?" Sam suggested as Jackson chased a ball almost as big as he was across the sun soaked backyard. "If it weren't for her, we never would have met."

Kicking a soccer ball to an anxiously waiting Jake, Jack agreed, "'Carter Catherine O'Neill' has a ring."

"No."

"Come on, Sam," Jack pressed. "'Carter' is a _great_ name for a girl."

"It's a _terrible _name for a girl," she informed him flatly. Sam fixed him with a hard glare to try and drive the point home.

"You were 'Carter' to me for over a decade," he rebutted as he took a few hasty steps to the left.

Much to his son's delight, he still managed to trap the ball with his foot – Jake had the whole kicking thing down pat; aim, however, still eluded him – and with a gentle kick, he sent it back to the grinning little boy.

Risking a glance at Sam, he saw she was still glaring. Clearly, it was time for a new approach. "Did you _really_ hate being 'Carter' _that_ much?"

"That was different and you know it," she protested. "_You_ were the only one who called me that; it was special. Most people used my _real_ name… If everyone had walked around calling me 'Carter' my whole life, I would have hated it."

"We named our other kids after people who are important to us, and you're the most important woman in my life," Jack insisted.

He kept a watchful eye on the ball Jake belted across the yard, calculating trajectories and trying to decide if he would have to intervene at the last minute to keep the ball from beaning Jackson while he played in his sandbox.

"I'd better be the _only_ woman in your life, Jack." Sam smiled, shooting him a pointed look. "Besides, you didn't let me name one of the boys after you, even though you're one of the most important men in _my_ life."

"One of?" he demanded in mock indignation. No matter how many times they played this game, he couldn't keep the twinkle of amusement out of his eyes.

"Sorry, hon," she apologized without remorse.

Sam grinned when his eyes narrowed at the sound of the much-loathed endearment. They both hated cutesy nicknames, but it was always good fun to rile one another up by dropping them into a conversation.

"You've got some stiff competition from our boys."

"JV or varsity?" Jack replied. That was the classification system they jokingly used to distinguish between their children and the men of SG-1, past and present.

"Both," she replied, her grin widening. "Stop trying to distract me. If it's a girl, we're not calling her 'Carter'."

"Fine," Jack sighed heavily, feigning heartbreak. "I guess we can call her 'Marge'."

"That's it, I'm leaving you," Sam announced dryly, although her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Cameron swears he'd never name my child after a _Simpson's_ character."

"Do you know what Mitchell considers _good _baby names?" Jack asked disbelievingly. He dutifully kicked Jake's ball again, sending the little boy chasing across the yard, giggling. "He wants me to run 'Matilda' past you."

Sam suddenly turned green, although Jack wasn't sure if it was the thought of calling their daughter 'Matilda' or the morning sickness that had plagued her thus far during the pregnancy. With one hand clapped to her mouth, she climbed unsteadily to her feet and double-timed it into the house, leaving Jack outside with Jake and Jackson.

"Hey guys," Jack called, getting his sons' attention. "Remember the baby growing in mommy's tummy? Well, all babies need names, even the ones still in their mommies' tummies, so we're going to start calling the baby 'Carter', okay?"

He got two grins and a pair of enthusiastic nods in return.


	3. Week Fourteen

**The Naming Game**

Week Fourteen

"You know, we _do _need to give some thought to boys' names. After all, this _is_ the third baby that you've sworn will be a girl," Sam reminded quietly. She stroked Jake's hair gently as the little boy stirred in his sleep, soothing him with that simple touch.

Jack shifted Jackson into a more comfortable position. "I don't care about boys' names. If it's a boy, you can name him whatever you want; if it's a girl, I get to name her whatever I want."

Sam knew she hadn't married a master negotiator, but that was pretty weak, even for Jack. "We are _not_ naming our daughter 'Carter'," she replied automatically.

She dropped a kiss onto her eldest son's forehead before turning and leading the way to Jackson's room, mulling over whether she should give voice to her suggestion.

"I was thinking of 'Jonas' for a boy," she finally said.

"Would you be okay with that?" Jack asked gently. He knew she meant it to be in memory of Jonas Quinn, but feared it would dredge up unpleasant memories of Jonas Hanson as well.

Pulling back the blankets on Jackson's bed, she retorted, "Would you?"

"I've been sitting on it for weeks," he confessed as he lay the little boy down. "I wasn't sure how to bring it up to you."

"Jonas Mitchell?" Sam suggested, a smile lighting her face as she imagined Cam's reaction.

"If we were actually having a boy, Vala would be jealous," Jack noted, pressing his lips gently to his son's forehead.

"If we have a girl…"

"We're naming her 'Carter'."

"Do you know what 'Carter' even means?" Sam demanded. She moved out into the hall so that they wouldn't wake the sleeping child.

"Brilliant, beautiful and crazy brave?" Jack replied, following her into the hall

Hopeful, he turned his best grin on her and offered up a suggestive eyebrow waggle.

"Nothing," Sam continued. She was studiously ignoring his blatant attempt to win some brownie points. "I can't find it in a baby book. _Any_ baby book! Not even some of the more bizarre ones Daniel's ordered online."

"Great! She'll be one-of-a-kind, just like her mom!"

Another attempt at brownie points. Sometimes, Jack knew, he was absolutely shameless.

"If you don't stop trying to name our daughter 'Carter', I'm giving her to Teal'c, along with strict orders to smuggle her through the stargate and leave her with Ishta."

No joy. Damn.


	4. Week Twenty One

**The Naming Game**

Week Twenty-One

"Do you even hear me when I say 'no' anymore?" Sam grumbled.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing an anxious looking archaeologist.

"Ask Daniel," Jack suggested hopefully. He trailed in her wake, staggering slightly under the weight of her coat, laptop case and what felt like his own weight in files.

"I thought we'd all agreed to leave me out of your marital disputes," Daniel reminded. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a very big, very fast-moving, tractor-trailer.

"I'm revoking your immunity," Sam replied, rubbing a hand over the knot in the small of her back. "Tell him 'Carter' is a terrible name for the daughter we're not having."

"Jack, 'Carter' is a terrible name for the daughter you're not having," Daniel parroted without hesitation.

Jack shot him a wounded look.

Daniel shrugged apologetically and mouthed 'can't argue with the cranky, pregnant woman'.

"You _do _realize that you didn't actually _ask_ his opinion, don't you?" Jack pressed.

"Forget Ishta." Sam whirled around to fix him with a steely glare. "If you name my daughter 'Carter', I'm letting Vala sell her on the intergalactic black market."

"I believe you would send her off to be raised by Amazon Jaffa, but _space pirates_? Come on, Sam, I'm not _that_ stupid!"

"We're not calling her 'Carter'!" Sam snarled in her best command voice before stalking off down the corridor as fast as her swollen ankles would take her.

"Call me crazy, but I think Sam might be serious," Daniel noted dryly.

"She'll come around," Jack declared confidently.


	5. Week Twenty Five

**The Naming Game**

Week Twenty-Five

"Have you succeeded in selecting the most preferred names for your child?" Teal'c inquired in between forkfuls of coleslaw.

Daniel, Vala and Cam all froze, sharing worried looks before turning their attention to Jack and Sam.

"Yes," Jack replied.

"No," Sam stated firmly in the next heartbeat. She sent an icy glare at her husband.

He'd been getting those glares a lot lately. He was a little worried that glaring would become Sam's default expression if she kept it up much longer.

"'Carter Catherine' for a girl," Jack stated, locking eyes with her.

" Jonathon Martin' for a boy," Sam retorted quickly.

In truth, she'd never in a million years name one of her children 'Martin', but it had been the first name of an alien who had driven Jack crazy to pop into her head.

"You are _not_ naming my son 'Jonathon'," Jack ground out through clenched teeth.

"And _you're _not naming _my_ daughter 'Carter'," Sam returned.

"Why not?!?!?!" Jack demanded, throwing his fork down in frustration.

"Because it's a boy's name, _barely_!" she replied, finally giving him a straight answer for the first time in three pregnancies. "Because it's absolutely ridiculous! Because her brothers are going to tease her mercilessly and tell her that we gave her a boy's name because we didn't _want_ a daughter! Because all the other kids at school will tease her every single day! Because…"

"Sam," Jack interrupted quietly.

He realized that, at least when her hormone levels were this out of control, a few of her arguments were hitting a little too close to home. Suddenly his fun debate didn't seem like such a great way to pass a couple of trimesters.

Sam sucked in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.

"Your dad loved you more than anything; he couldn't have loved you more if you were his son."

"That's not the point." Her voice was flat, but she was blinking furiously and Jack caught sight of tears shining in her eyes before she looked away. "We're not naming her 'Carter'."

Jack caught her fingers and squeezed gently, offering her silent comfort.

"I will take that as a 'no'," Teal'c said dryly, breaking some of the tension.

"Daddy!" a little voice called suddenly from upstairs, catching all of the adults' attention.

"_His_ naps are certainly getting shorter!" Vala quipped.

"So are his nighttimes," Jack sighed, shoving his chair back.

"You guys finish eating," Daniel said, waving his friend back into his chair. "I'll get him."

"Don't put him down," Sam advised, flashing him a grateful smile. "If you let his feet touch the floor, he'll be in jumping on Jake until he wakes up too."

"Got it," Daniel nodded, backing out of the room.

"You know, if you guys are having such a hard time agreeing on baby names…" Cam winced when Vala kicked him under table, but pressed on. "… You could just let the four of us pick the names."

"You are _not_ naming our daughter 'Matilda'," Jack said firmly.

For once, Sam nodded in agreement.


	6. Week Twenty Eight

**The Naming Game**

Week Twenty-Eight

"Geez!" Sam gasped. She pressed a hand to her swollen stomach, trying to ease the sharp stab of pain.

"Sam?" Jack called from across the yard. Straightening up, he watched her with concern, much to Jake's displeasure. The little boy tugged insistently on Jack's pant legs. In response, his father ran a distracted hand through the boy's hair.

"He kicked again," she explained. Sam offered her husband a smile, trying to reassure him that everything was fine.

"_She's_ gonna be our little soccer star." Jack grinned and scooped Jake up into his arms, crossing the lawn to join his wife.

"Mommy hurt?" Jackson asked from his spot in the sandbox at his mother's feet.

"No, sweetie," Sam assured. "Mommy's okay."

Jake looked up at his mother with concern-widened eyes. "Mommy, why does Carter kick you if it hurts your tummy?"

Hearing her oldest son call his baby brother – she still refused to admit she could be having a girl – that name set Sam off again.

She turned narrowed eyes on Jack, delivering a death glare that had made lesser – and, as Daniel would no doubt insist, smarter – men turn tail and run for the hills.

"Carter bad for hurting Mommy!" Jackson declared. He was oblivious to the fact that he was digging an even deeper hole for his father to try and climb out of.

"She doesn't know better yet, buddy," Jack reminded. "She's just making sure we haven't forgotten about her. She doesn't mean to hurt Mommy."

"Jack, I really wish you hadn't gotten them started on that," Sam said firmly. Somehow her glare got even icier, and the temperature in the backyard seemed to drop a few degrees.

"They're just getting used to their baby sister's name," Jack defended himself. The glare didn't bother him anymore. After so many months of living with a woman whose hormones were completely out of control, it took a lot more than a simple glare to faze him.

"We are _not_ calling our daughter 'Carter'," Sam insisted. She felt like a broken record, but the message still didn't seem to be getting through, and so she had no choice but to repeat herself.

"C'mon, guys," Jack said, ignoring her. He shifted Jake to one hip and picked Jackson up, settling him on the other.

"Where we goin', Daddy?" Jake asked.

"We're gonna go play on the grass and let Mommy and Carter relax."

Sam made a sound suspiciously like a growl, and Jack was sure that if it weren't for the fact that he was holding her children, she'd have killed him, then and there.


	7. Week Thirty Two

**The Naming Game**

Week 32

"Jack, I'm serious," Sam insisted. The phone was cradled between her shoulder and her ear while she awkwardly bent over to rifle through a drawer in her lab. "We need to think of a girl's name that we can both agree on."

"You've spent the last eight months swearing we weren't having a girl… Jackson, don't you _dare _eat that!" Jack hollered suddenly.

Sam flinched at his volume and almost dropped the phone. "Dare I ask?"

"It was a worm."

"Ew."

"Agreed."

"We need to be prepared," Sam pointed out, picking up the thread of the previous conversation. "Do you still like 'Catherine'?"

Cam suddenly appeared at her side, and Sam straightened up, relieved. She mouthed what she was looking for and stepped back, letting him dig through the drawer to find it for her.

"I told you a few months ago, I like 'Carter Catherine'," Jack reminded.

"We are _not_..."

"Calling our daughter 'Carter'," Jack finished for her. "I know. You've said it many, many times."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?" Sam asked.

Cam brandished the correct tool with a flourish and she flashed him a grateful smile.

"Because you're a genius and sooner or later you'll realize this is the one time in your life that you're wrong," Jack explained.

Then he bellowed, "Jake, don't do that to your brother!"

This time Cam joined Sam in wincing as her husband's holler carried over the phone line, loud and clear.

"What's he doing?"

"Squishing mud into Jackson's ear," Jack informed her matter of factly. "Surprisingly, Jackson's letting him… You'd better hope I'm right; I don't think I can take another little boy running around this place."

"Maybe if you weren't such a bad influence…"

"You love me."

"That I do," Sam replied, smiling. "I gotta go. Cam's here to drag me off to lunch. Tell the boys I said 'hi'."

"Same," Jack said. "Vala too. I love you."

"I love you too."


	8. Week Thirty Seven

**The Naming Game**

Week 37

Jack slipped out of the room, leaving Sam and his youngest child to be fawned over by the rest of SG-1. With a clipboard tucked securely under his arm, he cast cautious glances up and down the relatively deserted corridor. He had to duck into a few unoccupied patient rooms along the way, but eventually he made it to a rarely used supply closet.

Checking over his shoulder, Jack made sure no one was around before ducking inside. He flicked the light on and settled himself in the far corner of the room. Then he clicked his pen and began filling out the paperwork, balancing the clipboard on his knees.

It didn't take long to fill out the forms. Once he was done, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

Turning the light off behind him, Jack pulled the door shut and strode confidently through the halls. He didn't bother dodging other people this time, accepting the many congratulations that were offered throughout the journey.

Before returning to Sam's room, he swung by Carolyn's office to drop off the clipboard. Jack poked his head through the door to make sure he was clear to enter.

"Hey, Doc."

"I'm surprised you put her down," Carolyn teased, grinning.

"Would you have told Teal'c he couldn't hold her?" Jack retorted. Sauntering into the room, he held the clipboard out in front of him.

Carolyn accepted the board and skimmed its contents. "I make a habit of not telling Teal'c 'no.' That's what my staff is for… Are you serious?" she demanded suddenly. She looked up at Jack in wide-eyed surprise.

"Yeahsureyabetcha!" He casually stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"She really agreed to this?" Carolyn asked skeptically. "I mean, with all due respect, General, your fights over this are practically legendary around here."

"The boys have been calling her that for months and we didn't want to confuse them by switching it up now," he explained calmly. After all, it was a perfectly reasonable explanation for Sam's sudden change of heart.

Carolyn thought it over for a few moments, then nodded. "Okay. I'll get the paperwork started."

"Thanks," Jack said. He flashed her a tired grin. "For everything."

"Hey, this is by far my favourite part of the job," she replied. "Thank _you_ for letting me deliver her."

"Glad to be of service," Jack said as he backed out of the room. "I should get back."

"I'll be by a little later to check on mom and baby," Carolyn promised distractedly. Her attention was already back on her computer screen.

Without another word, Jack left the office and made a beeline for Sam's room. He'd hoped to be able to slip back in unnoticed, but he really should have known better.

The moment he swaggered through the door, seven sets of eyes locked on him with varying degrees of suspicion, wariness, amusement and excitement.

"Daddy! Babies are small!" Jackson informed his father in the stage whisper he'd obviously been scolded into using around his sleeping baby sister.

"She doesn't kick Mommy any more," Jake added. He sounded very pleased about that.

"Are you guys being gentle with Mommy and the baby?" Jack asked quietly, delaying the inevitable. He got two solemn nods in reply.

"Where have you been?" Sam demanded. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"I just wanted to drop by Hank's office and let him know it was a girl after all." Jack shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the skeptical looks he was getting from the others.

"General Landry was here," Teal'c informed him. The big Jaffa was wearing a smirk that screamed 'busted!' "He departed only moments ago."

Sam was definitely Teal'c's favourite, Jack decided. The big guy always took her side.

"I know," Jack lied glibly. He really hoped he could cover his mistake. "He wasn't in his office, so I came back. I got stopped by just about everyone on the way back… It took a while."

"Where's the clipboard?" Vala asked from her perch on one corner of the bed.

Cam scooped an increasingly restless Jackson up off the bed before his squirming could wake the baby. "What clipboard?"

"The one Jack left with," Vala replied, despite the pointed 'shut up!' look Jack shot her.

Jack decided then and there that Sam must be Vala's favourite too.

"The clipboard with all the paperwork we were supposed to fill out for Doctor Lam?" Sam asked. Her eyes narrowed even further as she scanned the room in search of the aforementioned clipboard.

Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized just what his friend had done. "You didn't!"

"I believe he did, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied. He casually clasped his hands behind his back and turned to watch Sam's reaction.

"Jack O'Neill, if you did what I think you did…" Sam growled warningly.

"All right, everybody out!" Carolyn declared, appearing in the doorway. "Let's give Sam some privacy to feed Carter Catherine O'Neill."

One look at Sam was all it took for the others to realize it was time to clear out for an entirely different reason.

Vala hopped off the bed and grabbed Jake under the arms. She followed Cam's hurried exit, talking loudly about going to get ice cream in order to stop either of the little boys from complaining about their abrupt departure.

Teal'c stayed only long enough to give Jack one last amused smirk. Then, smart man that he was, he beat a hasty retreat, trailing in Cam and Vala's wake.

Daniel dallied only a few seconds longer than the others. He leaned over the bed and, under the pretense of planting a kiss on Sam's cheek, he murmured, "If you kill him, I'll bring you a zat so there's no body to hide."

Then he was gone too, leaving an angry Sam, confused Carolyn and dead Jack behind.

"Oh, Carolyn," Sam began sweetly. All the while, she was glaring at her husband. "What did you just call my daughter?"

"Carter Cath…" the doctor trailed off. Her eyes went wide as she realized it was Jack's foolishness and not her instructions that had cleared the room so quickly.

"You said she agreed!" Carolyn cried, whirling around to face Jack.

"You can't blame a guy for trying." Jack shrugged. "Print off the paperwork again. We'll toss around some names and get it back to you in a few hours."

"I can't do that." Carolyn shifted awkwardly and shot an apologetic look at Sam.

"Why not?" Sam demanded. She was still glaring at Jack.

"Because I already submitted the paperwork."

Sam thudded her head against the pillows behind her several times. To keep her from waking their still sleeping daughter, Jack swooped in and took the infant from her arms.

"So we'll just fill out the paperwork to change her legal name." It was no big deal, as far as he was concerned. So long as his daughter was healthy, nothing else mattered.

Sam sighed heavily. The long-suffering sigh of a woman who put up with a great many shenanigans from her husband. "No, we won't."

"We won't?" Jack parroted, confused.

Glancing down at the baby in his arms, he wondered if this would be the last time he'd get to hold her. Sam might very well follow through on her threat and send the little girl to be raised by Ishta and her Amazon friends.

"We won't," Sam confirmed. "The boys have been calling her 'Carter' for months. Changing her name now will just confuse them."

"It will?" Carolyn asked disbelievingly. Her surprised gaze shifted to Jack.

"It will!" Jack grinned, pleased his bluff about Sam's logic had been right on the money.

"And I guess there are worse names than 'Carter'," Sam conceded.

"Like 'Matilda'," Jack reminded, grimacing.

Glancing at the baby again, he tried to imagine her running around the backyard, careening in his direction on unsteady toddler legs when he hollered 'Matilda.'

He couldn't picture it.

"So, no change of name forms?" Carolyn clarified hopefully.

Sam sighed again. "No."

"Okay." Carolyn sagged with relief. She made a vague gesture towards the door and said, "I'm just going to…" and then she was gone.

Coward.

"So, Carter Catherine O'Neill?" Jack confirmed. He arched a hopeful eyebrow at his wife.

"Yes, Jack." Sam smiled at him indulgently. "You win. You finally get your daughter named 'Carter'."

"And will I still be around to watch her and her brothers grow up?" Jack pressed.

Just in case the answer was 'no,' he dropped a feather-light kiss on his daughter's tiny forehead.

"That remains to be seen," Sam replied wryly. Then she grinned at him. "Daniel's offered to smuggle me a zat, so you'd better be on your best behaviour."

And damned if she wasn't Daniel's favourite too. Of course, _that_ had been obvious since day one.

Jack realized he was going to have to start bribing Cameron. He was the only hope Jack had left of _anyone_ ever taking his side.

"I'm going to be paying for this for a very, very long time, aren't I?"

Sam held her arms out, wanting to hold her sleeping daughter. "Oh yes, that you can count on," she promised.

"In my defense, I had no idea the paperwork would go through that fast," Jack said. He reluctantly handed the baby over, conscious of the fact that there was now nothing left to stop Sam from attacking him.

"Seriously," he continued. "When has bureaucracy ever moved that quickly?"

"Impressive bureaucratic efficiency aside, you're still in trouble," Sam reminded as she settled the baby in her arms. "But… I don't know. Maybe you're right. 'Carter' might be kind of cute as a girl's name. Maybe. Possibly."

Jack took a seat on the edge of the bed. He was in the strike zone, but he doubted Sam would bother when she had her arms full of newborn baby.

"If you really hate it, we can change it."

She regarded him seriously. "It's really important to you, isn't it? At first I thought you kept bringing it up because it drove me crazy, but you _hate_ paperwork. You wouldn't have filled it out today if you weren't serious."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead before kissing his daughter again. "It's important to me."

"You could have said so."

"I thought I did." Jack smirked. "Nine months at a time."

"She's beautiful," Sam breathed, effectively changing the subject.

"Just like her mom," he agreed. He rubbed a gentle thumb down their daughter's tiny nose. "I love you. Both of you," he added.

"I love you too." Sam grinned, despite the exhaustion pinching her features. "Now, go shut the door so I can feed our daughter in privacy."

"Yes, ma'am," Jack replied. He fired off a sloppy salute as he got to his feet.

He was under no illusions. He'd be on diaper duty indefinitely as punishment for his transgression, but he didn't care. His daughter had finally entered this world, arriving healthy and whole, and to top off the day, he had _finally_ convinced Sam to let him name their little girl after her.

Right now, life was pretty much perfect.

_The End_


End file.
